Appalled by young people’s fitness

The irony of wasting time on simple tech to discuss how simple tech is the devil.

The 1000-year period known as the Middle Ages (or Dark Ages) is just an outlier then...?

Actually, for almost all of human history there has been no material improvement in living conditions. It wasn't really until the 1800s that we see consistent improvements in productivity, health etc. But just because we're on an approximately 250-year good streak doesn't mean things can't turn around.

There are obviously multiple factors but I blame

1) the fact that kids aren't allowed to engage in unorganized outdoor play anymore and

2) the increase in early sport specialization and travel teams starting at young ages. I think this increasingly silos kids into athletes and non-athletes as there aren't as many opportunities for kids who are average to below average to participate.

As a high school coach, I'm getting a lot of kids who never played sports or haven't played in years joining my xc team. It's really hard to turn kids who aren't already athletes into runners.

I remember a while back reading something that said teens in the U.S. were drinking alcohol far less than previous generations. The reaction to this seemed really positive, and in a vacuum it would be a good thing. However, I couldn't help but think that it was just indicative of the huge problem that kids just plain aren't socializing in person like they used to. Future generations are going to be massively screen-addicted. The state of the internet now is that you can't tell what is real and what isn't - everything is a highly personalized dopamine hit, truth be damned. Things are bad and they are going to get massively worse.

I coach a high school track team. They are far from lazy, lots in multiple sports have to tell them they can't do everything. They hang out outside of track practice and do outdoor things like biking.

This thread has has almost universally pointed to the parent(s) as the problem to fitness in kids.

During those important developing years I was an active kid anyway but a few thing my parents did:

-Encouraged and supported but didn't force a particular sport. By the time I got to JH I ran, basketball, rumble football at grade school, tennis lesson with a city program, swimming 1st grade, golf, etc. Most were play more than competition, regardless I became a decent athlete and a decent (for HS) runner.

-Both parents would play "catch" or shoot hoops and unless they were busy, and enjoyed it

I've kept active my whole life in part because of positive experiences my parents instilled regarding activity, fitness and sports

The problem is that there is too much codependency between children and their parents. Parents will not make their children do those things that are essential to their development ie. physical fitness because parents are afraid their child will be angry with them which could jeopardize their friendship.

Regarding number 2. Participation for the sake of participating and enjoying the activity is routinely mocked by the older generation. Participation trophies is always used to put down kids. Maybe encouraging kids to participate should be encourage? The best athletes will still end up on the travel teams and what not.

Maybe drinking less but I reckon they are using other substances far worse than alcohol.

Ever look at an exponential curve on a linear y-axis like the DJI index over 100 years? It will look just like that, like all the growth happened very recently.

Maybe they were tired of old people yelling at them to get off their lawn.

That’s a very interesting point, and calls attention to the idea that, fitness-wise, our civilization is divided into a very small group of hyper-trained and hyper-talented elite, and a massive group of largely sedentary individuals.

Yes they do......Fall Ball.

Heck no. But on the way home from work last week, I did see a German Shepherd taking a huge wet crap on the sidewalk.

And not being given free range! Kids need within reason to be able to explore the world on their own.

I remember some poor souls who had to get permission to go anywhere. Others only had to say they were going, but not necessarily where to. I didn't have to say anything, I just had to not come back injured or dead.

I think this a lot too, yet I'm 17.

I realize the majority of people are consumed by technology and social media in a bad way.

The people that use it right are rare. But they're there, I've seen it. Those are the ones that make a difference in the world.

It's really tough to see at times. Most around me in my physical life is either consumed by social media or consumed by some other form of meaningless entertainment.

But I have found people who do make a difference. It's a small percentage but there are people. Not everyone is mediocore.

This has come up at least two other times. There are many places where kids play baseball in a fall league. I've managed many teams in such leagues. But the fall leagues are not Little Leagues. There may be many kids in those teams who play in Little Leagues in the spring and summer but they are not playing in Little Leagues.

Running is my meaningless entertainment!

I agree. The notion of inevitable progress is dangerous nonsense.